Natural gas provides better life

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I have kept quiet for quite some time trying not to ruffle any feathers, but every time I show up at meetings of the Robinson Township supervisors, I never see many people from Robinson Township. Only a few of people in attendance are from Robinson. Then, from that handful, there are even fewer people who have grown up in the township. It just gets to me and rubs me the wrong way.

Our family farm has been passed down through three generations and I look forward to passing it down to my kids. We have worked hard all our lives and have little to show for it. This story is exactly the same for most farmers in this area. Finally, our farm is paid off. We have been able to afford new barns, new equipment, hire help, and buy a nice truck. This would never have been possible if we didn’t sign into the Marcellus Shale. We are very happy with them and they have treated us with fairness and respect.

I don’t get it. On my side of Robinson Township, eight out of nine farms have signed leases for natural gas drilling, and all of us are looking forward to the day we get our well. Together, these properties total more than 680 acres. We have a product and we want to sell it to the public. It is natural gas and it pays way better than 16-hour days baling hay or chasing cows. So why can’t I sell my product to you? It’s something you use every day to heat your house or cook your food. Where do you think it comes from? It takes industry to bring this product that you use every day to market. So why am I being punished and not being allowed to sell my product to you?

How would you feel if you have a way to provide a better life for your family and then told you can’t because people don’t like noise, or their clean truck is going to get dusty, or they don’t like the bright lights on the well pad at night, or there are big trucks on the road? It’s called industry. It is only for a short period of time and then the well is complete and they’re off to the next well site.

If people only looked into the technology that is involved in the process, they would understand and feel better. Just get past all of the hysteria and look at the facts and you�’ll see it’s a pretty safe and highly regulated process. It seems that in the newspaper it’s the negative comments that get in and not the positive.